When Silent Study Isn’t Working: Engaging Review Ideas for IB Business

The IB Business exams are just over a week away, April 30th, 2025 (for Paper 1 and 3), and my students are officially done with silent study.

Maybe it’s because we wrapped up the syllabus a bit earlier this year. Maybe it’s the combination of classes they’re taking. Maybe it’s just this group. Who knows? But one thing I do know: they did not want to sit quietly with a study guide this week.

So, I tried something else. I pulled out some of the activities they’ve loved throughout the year. These are the ones that made them laugh, think, and actually remember content. Some of them ones included in PowerPoints. Others I’ve shared here before, and a few more I’ll be sharing over the next year. I post lots of these ideas over on Instagram too if you ever want quick inspiration or ways to shake things up in class.

Here are a few of the favorites we brought back this week:

• Human Profit and Loss

• Balance Sheet LEGO Towers

• “Heads Up” with finance scenarios

• Life-size break-even

• One-word definition races

• Flash review

• And a few spontaneous Kahoot battles that got way more competitive than expected

It was honestly so fun to see what they remembered, not just from the syllabus, but from our time together in class. The nostalgia turned into motivation, and that motivation turned into real review. I was surprised about the activities they loved and remembered the most. It will be something I ask during review season for years to come.

Two of my go-tos that never fail in the final days are games my students loved when we did them originally.

Kaboom Review Game – Unit 4 Marketing: This one brings the energy. It's fast-paced, competitive, and hits all the key marketing content. Perfect when students are zoning out or need something to jolt them back into exam mode.

Jeopardy Game – Unit 1 Product Review: A classic for a reason. Great as a full-class game or in small teams, and it’s always a hit. If you don’t finish, you can even assign it for at-home review.

If your students are dragging and tired of working alone, pulling out activities they’ve loved can be a great way to bring them back to life and back to the content. A little fun goes a long way in helping them remember what they’ve learned and go into the exam with confidence.

You've got this. One more week to go!

Do you have any favorite review activities? Let me know in the comments.